The 16th Annual Cheat River Festival is coming on Saturday May 1st from noon to 11pm. The place is Albright, WV at the head of the Cheat
Canyon. This year’s festival is dedicated to Keith Pitzer, who died this past winter after leading Friends of the Cheat for the 8 years. It’s the
biggest little river festival in the country! Check out the gear and food vendors, conservation exhibits, climbing wall, kids area, and art market! Then sit back and listen to the many wonderful musicians who come
from all over to play for Friends of the Cheat. It’s a great friendly atmosphere for all. Admission: is $15.00; kids under 12 go free. For more information go to www.cheat.org/festival.
Friends of the Cheat is a nonprofit watershed organization whose mission is to Restore, Preserve, and Promote the outstanding natural qualities of the Cheat River. They monitor water quality, manage acid mine remediation projects, and maintain four river access points on the Cheat and Big Sandy Rivers. They are long-time allies of American Whitewater
Location is just north of Albright in Northern West Virginia on Route 26. That’s about 45 minutes east or Morgantown, about 13 miles south of the Bruceton Mills exit on I-68.
Setting is a park-like mixture of fields and woods at the confluence of Muddy Creek with the Cheat River. Dress for the weather! Rugged shoes are recommended. A lawn or camp chair is a good idea. No Pets Allowed.
Parking is available near the festival site for $1 per car. $10 Presale Tickets are available; Go to our festival page www.cheat.org/festival for sale locations or give us a call at (304) 329-3621. Setting:. Annual Attendance: 2,200+
AW Membership Table, make sure you visit the AW membership table within the non-profit area. Stop in get a raffle ticket for great gear/products from Rocky Mountain Kayak, Keen and others, say hello and/or renew or join AW and pick up an AW Journal and/or decal and a Clif Bar. See you there
The Cheat Downriver Race runs on Friday evening before the festival. Come race down the mighty Cheat River Canyon! Registration opens at 3:30 pm, the race starts at 5:00. An entry fee of $20 includes the shuttle! For more info see www.cheatriverrace.com
The Cheat Fest 5K Run is on the morning of the festival. Show your support for Preston County Rail-Trails! Registration is at the Preston Country Club in Kingwood, WV from 8:30-9:45 am; start time is 10:00. A $25 entry fee includes race registration and free admission to The Cheat River Festival. For more information go to http://cheat.org/festival/roadrace
.
Nonprofit and Government Agency Exhibits: Learn more about the watershed and what groups are doing to make it better! We’ve added a new Green Technology section to this area.
Kid’s Area: It’s now close to the artists so that the artists can interact with them. Tie dye bandanas with iron oxide from acid mine drainage, learn with the chemistry wizard, and much more! View the winning entries in our first Watershed Drawing Contest in our Photo Gallery.
This year’s Festival Music Lineup:
T. Mitchell Bell & the Wandering Coalition 1:15pm – 2:15pm – T Mitchell Bell grew up in the steel town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His musical roots run deep. His great-aunt taught piano, his great-grandfather made fiddles in WV, and his father is a jazz drummer. His Dad helped start him on te path by giving him a blues harmonica book by Tony "Little Sun" Glover when he was twelve. He Started his first band at 13, was playing clubs at fifteen, and started writing songs in his late teens
Hickory Wind Trio 2:30pm – 3:30pm – Bob Shank, a native West Virginian who plays banjo, hammer dulcimer, guitar et al. had a career in the dim past with a band called Hickory Wind – recorded real vinyl records on Chicago’s Flying Fish label – met Earl and Bill and Doc and Merl and John and Emmylou and the whole nine yards. With two former members of the group they become the Hickory Wind Trio.
Bibs & Barefeet 3:45pm-4:45pm – A young Ohio group performing mostly original and bluegrass with an occasional flavor of acoustic blues or rock. Band included guitarist Bela Clutter; Todd Surber on banjo, guitar, harmonica, and keyboards; Evan North on upright bass; and mandolinist Stevie Ison
Medicinal Whiskey 5:00pm – 6:00pm – Carrying on in the tradition of their Singer/Songwriter father, Keith Pitzer (and former Executive Director of FOC who passed away in December) Jake and Jesse are joined by Greg Short, Jr. (Percussion) and Chris Bern (Upright bass) performing ab energetic "Newgrass" style picking of originals, bluegrass and some folk. No strangers to the music scene three of the four were former members of the group From the Hip.
Hillbilly Gypsies 6:15pm – 7:15pm – A West Virginia native string band specializing in their own homegrown style of Appalchian old time music, mixed with a hard drivin’ bluegrass sound. In addition to their original material, they perform an eclectic mix of traditional and quite often, not-so-traditional bluegrass standards and catchy old fiddle tunes. www.hillbillygypsies.com
Stewed Mulligan 7:30pm – 8:30pm – A mainstay at Cheat Fest, this is a cast from coast to coast gathered in Doddridge County, West Virginia seeking the post 60’s rural renewal to share lives of humorous stories and musical styling. This is the self-entertainment leading to a 20 year romance, brewed in a tasty stew. It continues to simmer as ingredients (and a variety of musicians) are added to the texture of the smile. www.stewedmulligan.com
Trent Wagler and The Steelwheels- 8:45pm – 9:45pm Truly an Americana band, rooted in musical styles that explore the territories between blues and bluegrass, old-time sing alongs and foot stompin’ fiddle tunes. They are subtle innovators who respect the past, but whistle their own tunes, layering in rich textures and decidedly modern energy to forge a new sound.
Halftime String Band 10:00pm – 11:00pm – This year’s final dance will be to the sounds, tunes and energy of the Halftime String Band. This foursome continues to diversify their sound, developing original material and borrowing from a variety of musicians and styles. Despite their bluegrass/newgrass foundation, at times they tend to leak and lapse into other musical directions just for fun.www.halftimestringband.com
LODGING:
Please Note: There is no camping in the parking area or on the Cheatfest Site!
Two campgrounds are within walking distance of the festival site. Neither one accepts reservations during Cheatfest.
Teter’s Campground (304) 329-3626 teterscampwv@aol.com. Located adjacent to the festival. Flush toilets and showers. $7/night. Full by Friday afternoon prior to festival. No pets
Cheat Canyon Campground 1/2 mile down Rt. 26 from the festival. (304)329-6522. Large open field by the river with flush toilets and pay-per-use showers. $15/per adult for the weekend. No pets. www.cheatcanyoncampground.com
Big Bear Lake has rustic cabins & camping: 304-379-4382, www.bigbearwv.com
Hotel and Motel Accommodations:
Maple Leaf Motel Bruceton Mills(304) 379-4075
Microtel Inn and Suites Hazelton just off I-68 1-800-771-7171 microtel inn
Mountain Creek Cabins Bruceton Mills (304) 379-8908 www.mountaincreekcabins.com
Heldreth Motel Kingwood (304) 329-1145 www.heldrethmotel.com
Preston County Inn Kingwood 1-800-252-3271.www.prestoncountyinn.com
Alpine Lake Resort Terra Alta 800-752-7179 www.alpinelake.com